France - Post 12 - Metro stories

Hey everyone,

So in this post I plan on just telling you about some other weird things I’ve seen in the Metro. I figured since I had a bunch of little stories I could just make a post compiling them all into one. So here goes nothing.

I would just like to say that despite a stereotype being that foreigners, Americans in particular, are loud and obnoxious should not be held just to foreigners because I see it with people who I assume to be locals also. The thing is that the several times I’ve seen other people who are acting without thought for those around them, these people seem to be like that because of their own values. What I mean by this is that they would normally act like this and it wouldn’t necessarily be due to, for example, having a little too much to drink or being a big group of tourists who are all trying to talk at once.

First example, about two week ago I get on the metro and sit down on one of the seats that is open and not closed as in the seats that are directly in line with the doors and not the seats that close you off from the door for a group of four or eight if you use both sides. I sit and two people see out of the corner of my eye a lady holding a lighter to a glass pipe for a good time and I look around to see if other people have noticed. Sure enough, the people around these two were staring just like I was but they didn’t care. There was no smell or smoke and so after reading a USA Today article about drugs online I can only guess that it was probably cocaine or Meth since I they best fit the description of what I saw (The lady was literally 2 feet from me). I don’t want to judge but seeing the grungy appearance along with poor hygiene and the way the two of them were speaking to each other can only lead me to believe that these two were not in any good socioeconomic status. 2 stops after I get on, they both stumble off.

The next story is more recent and is another smoking story but a lot more interesting in my own opinion. So everyone knows how now there exists an alternative to the tobacco-filled cigarette: the electronic cigarette. These have no tobacco and produce a water vapor that imitates the appearance of real smoke but without the same health risks. So, last Friday I get on the metro and sit again in an open seat opposite the door. On the same side there is a man, maybe late 20s, good hygiene but not shaven with a leather murse, a grocery bag, and another bag. Out of his leather murse he pulls out what I first think is the body end of one of those screwdrivers that come in a kit with interchangeable parts. It looks like this but without the screw bit and without the button. (This one is electric which differs from the non-electric ones)

He has already noticed that I am staring as he fiddles with it for a couple minutes but I don’t care since I know the slim chances that I will ever see him again in my life. After these couple minutes of going between the murse and the screwdriver thing, he puts the bit-end to his mouth and the other end lights up. Turns out it was an oversized electronic cigarette, I think. The reason I say “I think” is because when he exhaled and smoke came out, there was also the smell but instead of cigarette smell, it smelled like a flavored cigar, which wasn’t completely repulsive. Maybe it was custom or homemade. I may never know what it actually was or if he made it himself but it was interesting to see this contraption in action. Maybe these already exist and I just don’t know.

I would like to know stray away from these smoking stories to bring you back to what I had originally mentioned on how locals may act the same way that foreigners do that may seem to go against the typical societal norms but for different reasons. In my opinion, the reason is just a lack of regard for the people around them and not because of cultural ignorance, which isn’t an excuse but is in fact a reason. Observe this by the attention that is called to the person/people in discussion.

Another time I get on the metro and there is a group of teenagers, 2 of them with bikes and the rest on foot, also getting on. What got my attention as well as that of many other people were the vulgarities that these teenagers were saying and the volume at which they were talking also. Nothing much else to say about that except that I assume they were locals or at least living in the area by their French but still acting without much consideration for what everyone else might think about them.

Next part is about people who get on the trains looking for money.

The one I remember most is an incident where I can only assume to be a legitimate homeless person got on the metro and instead of spilling out some spiel about how he needed money for an operation or to support his kids or whatever else, he goes around to every person and individually asks them for money.  I remember this because I was sitting on the open seat where he got on and when I noticed that he was asking everyone, I averted my gaze when he walked over hoping he would just pass by like most everyone does when you ignore them but instead he waves his hand in front of my face and nudges me as if I couldn’t smell him in front of me and I almost whopped him one. I turn towards him to acknowledge his presence and return to where I was looking. This wasn’t the first time that someone has gone person-to-person and asked for money but I’ve never been approached in such a manner like that.

Maybe I should just stop sitting next to the dear because on 3 different occasions one of the musicians or singers will come on the metro, blast the amplifier, and start performing right next to me while I’m trying to read or listen to music. I give change sometimes to the people who play an instrument just because I am personally more impressed by a person who knows how to play an instrument well and less impressed by someone knows how/tries to sing. Also, when I hear people play instruments, there is usually some type of personal composition that they have made or something a little more difficult and when people sing, it’s more like karaoke without the words. On one occasion I actually move to the next cart over because this person had their amplifier at a ridiculous volume level.

I personally prefer the acoustic guitarists who sing and the dual xylophonists that sit near the platforms before you get onto the metro.

(This guy does have hands btw, the shutter speed was obviously too slow to catch it though)
Thanks for reading and until next post!

P.S.- The pictures from this post are NOT mine! However, the pictures in my next post will be. I try not to take pictures and pull out my phone in the metro. The pictures are for references.

 (This picture shows where the open seats are (where the guy in white is sitting in front of the door) and where the closed seats are (the ladies behind him) to which I was referring